Hosiery-finishing form.



Patented J 211 1.

' LYLE GRAY, 0F BEAVER DAM WISGON SIN, ASSIGNOR TO PARAMOUNT HOSIERY FORM DRYING 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HOSIERY-FINISHING IE'OIRIVL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 22, 191%.

Application filed March 19, 1917. Serial No. 155,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYLE F. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beaver Dam, in the county of Dodge and State of isconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hosiery-Finishing Forms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

his invention relates to hosiery finishing structures and more particularly has reference to hosiery drying and shaping forms.

The object of the invention is primarily to provide, in such. formsflneans for effect ing the essentially important functions of flattening out and smoothing certain parts of the fabric of hosiery which, for one reason or another, are not br0ught to proper shape and condition by the knitting machine As is known in the trade, in the knitting of seamless hosiery (so-called) the pouch or section of the tpe port1on of the hosiery-article includes, in part, a gore. formed by the machine, a loopers seam made by the looper, and a knot made at the juncture of the bore with the seam. The pouch, in being preliminarily shaped, has a tendency to cup, that is, it rolls up at the edges and has a cup-like formation. It is desirable, in the finishing of thegoods, to remove this cup, to stretch and iron out the bore as much as possible, and to shape the toe-portion. Heretofore, this has impart been accomplished by a pressing operat onadditional to the regular drying operat1on or by manipulating the goods over the surface of the drying-form but, on particularly heavy goods, these are not always readily and adequately performed. It 1s the a 1m of my invention, therefore, to provide means for eflecting this result and with .a degree of certainty and facility that makes for a better finish on the product.

With this object in view, the invention resides in the structure, and in the components thereof, all as more particularlyset forth in the following description.

In order that the invention may be readily comprehended, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings; these, however, being illustrative and make clear that the invention is susceptible of a wide range of modification Without departing from or sacrificing the underlying principles and salient features of the invention.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a hosiery drying and shaping form embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in central section thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the same showing a portion of .a stoclc ing partly disposed on the form.

Referring to the drawings, the referencecharacter 1 designates a hosiery-drying and shaping form which, in this instance, is 1101. low to contain a heating medium (such as steam or the like) to heat it from within,

his form is preferably provided with relatively reduced edeeportions 2 adapted to produce a crease-like formation in the hosierv-article 3 superposed on the form. This hollow form, in general, is of the general type disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,207,496, granted December 5th, 1916.

The form, being relativelythin in crosssection as shown,presents. two sides, the edge-portions being beveled and terminating in the edge-portions 2. Each of the sides includes a primary fabric-flattening surface 4 which extends to said edge-portions and encompasses an expanded portion 5 constituting an auxiliary fabric-flattening sur face. Preferably, this auxiliary surface 5 is elongated longitudinally of the foot-portion 6 of the form and presents a ridge 6 which extends from adjacent the end 7 of the toe.- section back for a distance. say, of a couple of inches. The shape and dimensions of the auxiliary surface may be varied to meet therequirements, the desideratum being. however, that it shall occupy a plane different from the primary surface and this is secured, in this instance, thicker at that point. The result is that, while the primary surface is performing its intended function of smoothing and flattening the body-portion of the foot of the hosiery-article and, in coiiperation with the edges 2, effecting a pronounced ironing and shaping of the same, the auxiliary surface will at the same time effect a transverse stretching of the fabric and this, in conjunction with the stretching and fixing action bv casting the metal" of the primary surface, tends to shink and eliminate the normal fullness of the pouch 'of the foot-portion. In this way, the toesection of the article is shaped as regards both its edge-portions and its intermediate portion. Moreover, the ridge 6 tends to iron and flatten out the gore 8 in the article and, likewise, the loopers knot therein. The ridge also serves as a guide for the finger of the operator properly to aline the gore function.

I n'arily is normally too ,The rear portion of the ridge 6 is preferably formed with a fairly substantial bevel orinclined surface 9 and this is adapted to be engaged by the fabric and tends, when the fabric shrinks and grips the same-as it naturally does anchor such fabric against the end of the toe-section.

From the foregoing, it will be perceived that I have devised a drying and shaping structure which has the capacity, first, of effecting a shrinking and fixing of the hosiery-fabric within a zone where it ordifull; secondly, of eifecting'a quick drying of the fabric which is thicker at that point; and, third, of presenting a guiding means to enable the operator more accurately and quickly to posiin practice-to creeplng toward 7 tion the gored sections of the hosiery-article 7 including a for'proper relative arrangement of its wales, etc.

WhatI claim is:

1. A hosiery drying and shaping form foot-portion comprising sides, each consisting of a primary fabric-flattening and smoothing surface extending inwardly' from the edges of the portion and an auxiliary gore-smoothing surface dis posed approximately centrally of said edges extending longitudinally of the foot-portion (topics of this patentmay be obtained. 'for five cents each, by addressing the and merging intosaid primary surfaces, a

section of said auxiliary surface outstanding .beyond the plane of the primary surface.

2. A hosiery drying and shaping form comprising a foot-portion including a toe section comprising primary fabric-flattening and smoothing surfaces and intermediate auxiliary gore-smoothing surfaces encompassed by the primary surfaces and extending in the longitudinal direction of the footportion, each auxiliary surface having a section outstanding substantially beyond the plane of the primary surface.

3. A hosiery drying and shaping form including a foot-section having oppositelydisposed fabric-ironing sides comprising a primary flattening and smoothing surface and an auxiliary fabric-shrinking surface encompassed by the primary surface and comprising a pyramidal portion and a fabric-anchoring portion.

4:. A hosiery drying and shaping form including a foot-section having oppositelydisposed fabric-ironing sides comprising a primary flattening and smoothing surface extending in one direction into a toe-portion and an auxiliary fabric-shrinking surface encompassed by the primary surface and comprising a pyramidal portion and a fabric-anchoring portion extending in a direction away from the toe-portion.

5. A hosiery drying and shaping form including a foot-section having oppositelydisposed fabric-ironing sides comprisin a primary flattening and smoothing sur ace terminating in one direction in crease-producing edges and an auxiliary fabricshrinking surface encompassed by the primary surface and comprising a longitudr nally extending pyramidal portion and a beveled fabric-anchoring portion.

(3. A hosiery drying and shaping form including a foot-section having oppositelydisposed fabric-ironing sides comprising a primary flattening and smoothing surface and an auxiliary fabric-shrinking surface encompassed by the primary surface and comprising a pyramidal portion and a fabric-anchoring portion and a ridge-portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LYLE F. GRAY.

Witnesses \VM. CHRISTENSEN, lV. LAWRIE.

Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, D. G. 

